Mooring mast for airships



Sept. 15, 1931. w. v. N. POWELSON ET Al.

uoonme MAs'r FOR Ams mPs Original Filed Sept. 21, 1921 y J w" z muu fl zwT v f? a v m 1N? WILFRID V. N. POWEL-SON,

Patented Sept. 1931 PATENT OFFICE OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND WARREN TRAVELL, OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA MOORING- MAST FOR AIRSHIPS November 25, 1930.

This invention pertains to a mooring mast for airship's. More particularly, it pertains of which an airship may be moved under culty has been that mooring at the mast-.

control between the level of the mast head and a level nearer the ground. 7

Masts are known which provide for the mooring of airships above the ground, but so far as we are aware the masts hitherto employed have not/provided for the lowering'or raising of the airship from one level to another under positive control. This has been a serious drawback because it has made diflicult the handling of the ship, it being necessary, in order to bring a moored ship to the ground, to free it from the mast and pull it down in the usual way. Other disadvantages have been that it has been necessary to take on passengers and freight through the forward end of a moored ship, aprocedure which is inconvenient, dangerous and slow, as well as disturbing to the equilibrium of the ship. Still another difli- -head hassubjected the ship to stresses of greater magnitude than it would encounter if moored closeto the ground.

It is an objectof the present invention to eliminate those disadvantages by provid ing a structure to which an airship can be moored in theusual way, but by means of which the airship may be moved from one.

level to 'a'nother,'as,' for example, from the mast head to a level nearer the ground, or vice versa. It will thus be possible to take on passengers and freight at a low level, as from a platform, to move the ship under positive control to the top of the mast, and

: then launch it by casting it loose from the 1 mast.

I We have invented various means for accomplishlng these results, any one of which may be employed. Among them are mooring masts of the type specifically described in this application. Others involve the rotatable' mounting of a mooring mast Original application filed September 21, 1921, Serial No. 502,127. Divided and this application filed Serial No. 499,726.

equipped with a carriage moving vertically on tracks, a form of the invention described and claimed in our copending application filed September 21, 1921, Serial No. 502,127. Still a different solution of the problem is found in the use of a telescopic mooring mast provided at its end with a bell mouth or other means permitting rotation of the airship with respect to the mast.

The present application contains, among others, claims specific to a mooring mast equipped with a collar-like carriage on which a rotatable connecting device is mounted. By moving such collar-like carriage up or down, the elevation of the moored airship is changed at will. By means ofthe rotatable ring which forms a part of the carriage, rotation of the moored air'lship around the mooring mast is permitte In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of a mooring mast with a sliding collar-like carriage; v

Figure 2 is a cross-section on line 2-2 of Figure 1, on a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a cross-section on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is plan of the base of the mast; showing the platform which forms a part thereof;

I Figure 5 is a plan on a larger scale of the mechanism for controlling movement of the sliding collar and mooring connection; and

Figure 6 is an elevation corresponding to Figure 5.

In Figure 1 is shown a preferred type of self-sustaining mooring mast, the same comprising a tower and a platform and being designated 330. Attached thereto is the airship 1, held to the mast 330 by rope 80. This mast 330 is movable on track 331 and has a collar-like carriage 332 which is capable of sliding motion up and down said mast, such motion being controlled by ropes upwardva'round -a sheave 3.376 carried .by a

caster 337 revolvable aboutstheacentral:axis of the mast and having an opening through its center through which rope "80 may be *led'dowirward to itscontrol means 335.

Figures 2 and'3 show in grea-ter detail a method of constructing a mast with an inner cylinder 351 concentric with the outer cylinder 332 and having web-girders 353 between. iAny other suitable method'may -'be used for obtaining a mast of suiiicient strength and rigidity to withstand the stresses imposed upon it by the airship.

By this arrangement, it is possible to "moor-the airship 1 "to the mast 330 in the usualway, -and,'having moored it, to "lower itfrom the mooring level to any desired lower level. This-slidable carriage332 provides {for such vertical movement and the connecting-rings 362,'-forming a part ofthe' carriage, provides for "rotation of the airship in response to "changes in thedirection of the wind.

Suitable changes to adapt the ma-st to particular conditions may be made *without departing :Ifrom theinventive thought. The subject matter of this application constitutes divisional matter taken from-our copending application Serial No. 502,127,

filed September 321, 1921, for Means for mooring and housing "airShip'sF It is intended that the patent to be based 'onthe present application shall oover,1by suit-able expression 'inthe appended claims, whatever I features of patentable novelty reside in'the invention herein disclosed, within'the. scope above indicated. H

i We claim:

1. In equipment' for mooring airships, the

combination of a mooring tower; arotatable' mooring element cooperating"with the ex- "terior surface oit'the tower, said element having means which is flexible,.as regardsiits vertical angle. of elevation, forits connection to the sh p and mechanical means by which said rotatable .mooring element may be raised andL-low'eredunder control.

"2. A self supporting mooring mast for airsh ps compris ng a tower, connecting deviceassocia'ted with said'towerwith which the airship is connected, 'sa'id connecting device adapted to be moved .longitudinally nected thereto and to be moved circumferentially about said tower.

3. A mooring device for airships comprising an anchor structure; rotatable means -''for connectingan airship to said-structure when approaching fromany direction; and

-means for changing the direction in which said .anchor structurelies so..as to correspond wlth the .posi'tlon of the shlp, said means comprislng wheels connected wlth the an- 'chor structure.

4. A mooring device for airships comprising .a :platform, :23, tower associated thereswith,;a;:slidi-ng collar for the airship connected with said tower and adapted to slide vertically along it. 7

5. Apparatus for -mooring airshipscomprising a mooring mast,-a carriage-having vertical movement along said mast, said carriagebeing provided "with means rotatable thereabout and-provided with adevice to-whih the airship is adapted to be' moored.

-6. A method of mooring airships comprising the securing of-the ship by the bow to an elevated coupling, maintaining said coupling in conditioir' torevolve freely about afi-Xedly positioned tower as the shlp moves with the wind, and lowering the couplingto a predetermined elevation.

A mooring mastcomprising an internally trusse'dstructure, a vertically movable member secured'to rotate around'the'outside of the mast, a mooring line coupling cooperating -with said member, *and means to control -vertical movement thereof.

8. Inequipment for mooring a'irships,'the

conibinationof amooring tower a:r.otatable mooring 1 element cooperating 1 with the exiterior surface of thetower; andimeclranlcal means by which said-rotatable mooring element maybe-raised and loweredvundericontrol. v

9. A self supporting mooring mastifor airships comprising a1tower,.a rotatable. connecting device associated with said 'tower with which the airship may :be connected, said-connectingdevicecadapted to be moved longitudinally along the tower While the airship is connected thereto.

Signed at "San Bernardino, California,

this eleventh dayof November, 1930.

WI-LERI'D' V. 'N. POVV'ELSON.

A RREN TRAVELL.

along the tower while" the "airship'is c'on- 

